Bleacher Report’s House of Highlights is expanding into live events

Bleacher Report set out in 2018 to turn House of Highlights into a meaningful business. This year, the company is planning to invest in and expand the sub-brand — and business — into live events.

As part of its game plan for NBA All-Star Weekend from Feb. 15 to 17, Bleacher Report will host its first big physical activation for House of Highlights. Dubbed “The House of Highlights,” the event space will include a studio, a gaming room and a basketball gym, as well as live and video programming. Adidas, McDonald’s and Twitter are on board as sponsors and programming partners: McDonald’s, for instance, is branding the gym and a challenge where local high school basketball coaches compete to win grants for their teams and players. (McDonald’s has a broader deal with Bleacher Report and House of Highlights, which includes sponsorship of the Twitter live show.)

The House of Highlights brand has shown up at previous events produced by Bleacher Report, including a branded lounge at an event tied to the NBA’s Summer League last year. But this is going to be the sub-brand’s first “big boy activation, where House of Highlights is standing on its own,” said Howard Mittman, CRO and CMO of Bleacher Report.